Balace of power established at Congress of Vienna overturned by unification of Italy/German
Imperialism, economic competition, and escalating arms race created more places for national interests to clash
Bismarck’s System of Alliances
Bismarck’s Diploacy led Europe’s nations in addressing long term issues: decline of Ottoman empire, power vacuum in Balkans (competition between Austria and Russia)
Treaties fostered by Bismarck ultimately stimulated dangerous arms races
Congress ofBerlin, 1878
Russia had expanded influence by defeating Turkey and forcing the Sultan to give them territory=enlarged Montenegro and Serbia, full independence to Bulgaria
Aim of the Congress was to restrain Russian amibitions+finding a response to Balkan nationalism and Ottoman weakness, while avoiding war
Settlement granted autonomy to Bulgaria (reduced), indepent Serbia, Romania, and Montenegro, authorized AH to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina, Britain occupeied Cyprus, Tunis promised to France—this balance came at the weakness of the Ottoman Empire and extended dominion of the major powers.
Germany’s Allies
Bismarck persuaded AH to a mutual defense pact: Secret pact that the two nations promised should either be attacked by Russia the other would come to it’s defense
1881: Deal with Russia to join Germany and AH if they remained neutral in the event of war between any of them and a fourth power
Addition of Italy created the Triple Alliance with a renewable five year pact: 1882
Bismarck’s goal was the diplomatic isolation of France
Russia and AH let their alliance slip in 1887 because of their own disagreements, forcing Bismarck to make the Reinsurrance Treaty with Russia promising neutrality
Italy and AH didn’t get along, Bismarck had to recognize a range of Italian ambitions in the Balkans/Africa
German Diplomacy afterBismarck
Common fear of Germany overlooked by successors after Bismarck fired (1890)
Reinsurrance Treatly lapsed, France pressed Russia for understanding and led to alliance in 1894
Kaiser tried to reach alliance with Great Britain (natural thing) but then he congratulated the president of the Boer repuglic when they beat Britain
Naval power in Germany went up a whole lot
Anglo-French Understanding
Settled for defined spheres of influence
Entente Cordiale of 1904
German leaders reaoned that an assertive foreign policy would demonstrate their strength now
Testing Alliances
1905-1911 three diplomatic crises drew German enemies closer together
Morocco’s future decided by international conference demanded by Germany, but France took it anyway
Balkan crises, Austria was concerned with Serbia, and that Turkey was becoming too influential in the Balkans (Young Turk group) which forced AH to annex Bosnia and Herzgovina, threatening the Slavs there and Serbia—they wanted an international conference
France wanted to annex Morocco and everything was hunkey-dorey, then Germans sent The Panter gunboat and demanded the Congo as a price for letting France annex
Arms Race
French/German standing armies doubled 1870-1914
1889 Britain said “our fleet has to be gigantic!” and they launched battleships armed with onloy big guns
Major powers agreed to two great conferences on disarmnament and compulsory arbitration at Hague in 1899 and then 1907—Germans at second conference rejected any limiations
Triple Entente
1902—Britain signs a treaty with Japan, followed by accord between France/Russia/Japan in 1907, then more agreement between GB/Russia
Triple Entente (Britain/France/Russia) vs. Triple Alliance (Germany/Austria/Italy
Britain withdrew fleets from the Mediteranean in 1912 and leave the French to watch em while they watched the North Sea and Germany
The Balkan Threat
Ferment caused by nationalism, modernization, militarism, shaky parliamentarianism, complicated by centuries of oppression, disputed boundaries, social/ethnic/religious rivalries
Competitions between Russia and Austria Hungary quickly became enmeshed in these conflicts along with Germany
Italian defeat of Turkey in 1912 triggered the Balkan War (Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece declared war on Turkey, drove the Ottomans from all holdings except Constantinople), then Serbia/Greece/Romania/Turkey declared war on Bulgaria, caused a lot of local anger and international concern
The Assasination of an Austrian Archduke
I hope you listened to the Turkey Sandwich story: I’m saving space by not writing it again:
the system of alliances caused AH to jump into a war they weren’t ready for, and then Russia had partial moiliization, Germany proclaimed a state of readiness
August 1st, Germany mobilized and declared war on Russia, invaded Luxemborg and sent the Belgians an ultimatum, then 2 days later German declared war on France and invaded Belgium, followed by Britain declaring war on Germany (Aug. 4th) The Origins of World War
Assasination didn’t cause it; tensions did (struggles for independence, AH declining power, each nations concern for it’s own power
AH attacked Serbia suddenly, Germany was irresponsible in helping them, Russia was clumsy in terms of Diplomacy, France was desperate to show their loyalty to the Russians, and Great Britain failed to warn Germany that if they invaded France they’d have to deal with Britain too
The Limits of Diplomacy
System of alliances had been hardened by habit, military imperatives, and domestic politics
Every country was afraid of something and wanted to show how powerful they were
Arms race contributed, as did the German defeat of France in 1870
Military mobilization was considered by many countries to be “essential act of self defense” and everyone was matching every single increase of personell or guns
Public Opinion
Military spending had to be OK’d by the public, so those who feared socialism/had military and imperialist interests waved flags to win votes
Push by conservative forces to manipulate public opinion in favor of war
Warmongering appealed to upper/middle class men the most and many in the working class (while not entirely happy) ended srikes and anti-war protests when war was declared
- Balace of power established at Congress of Vienna overturned by unification of Italy/German
- Imperialism, economic competition, and escalating arms race created more places for national interests to clash
Bismarck’s System of Alliances- Bismarck’s Diploacy led Europe’s nations in addressing long term issues: decline of Ottoman empire, power vacuum in Balkans (competition between Austria and Russia)
- Treaties fostered by Bismarck ultimately stimulated dangerous arms races
Congress of Berlin, 1878- Russia had expanded influence by defeating Turkey and forcing the Sultan to give them territory=enlarged Montenegro and Serbia, full independence to Bulgaria
- Aim of the Congress was to restrain Russian amibitions+finding a response to Balkan nationalism and Ottoman weakness, while avoiding war
- Settlement granted autonomy to Bulgaria (reduced), indepent Serbia, Romania, and Montenegro, authorized AH to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina, Britain occupeied Cyprus, Tunis promised to France—this balance came at the weakness of the Ottoman Empire and extended dominion of the major powers.
Germany’s Allies- Bismarck persuaded AH to a mutual defense pact: Secret pact that the two nations promised should either be attacked by Russia the other would come to it’s defense
- 1881: Deal with Russia to join Germany and AH if they remained neutral in the event of war between any of them and a fourth power
- Addition of Italy created the Triple Alliance with a renewable five year pact: 1882
- Bismarck’s goal was the diplomatic isolation of France
- Russia and AH let their alliance slip in 1887 because of their own disagreements, forcing Bismarck to make the Reinsurrance Treaty with Russia promising neutrality
- Italy and AH didn’t get along, Bismarck had to recognize a range of Italian ambitions in the Balkans/Africa
German Diplomacy after Bismarck- Common fear of Germany overlooked by successors after Bismarck fired (1890)
- Reinsurrance Treatly lapsed, France pressed Russia for understanding and led to alliance in 1894
- Kaiser tried to reach alliance with Great Britain (natural thing) but then he congratulated the president of the Boer repuglic when they beat Britain
- Naval power in Germany went up a whole lot
Anglo-French UnderstandingTesting Alliances
- 1905-1911 three diplomatic crises drew German enemies closer together
- Morocco’s future decided by international conference demanded by Germany, but France took it anyway
- Balkan crises, Austria was concerned with Serbia, and that Turkey was becoming too influential in the Balkans (Young Turk group) which forced AH to annex Bosnia and Herzgovina, threatening the Slavs there and Serbia—they wanted an international conference
- France wanted to annex Morocco and everything was hunkey-dorey, then Germans sent The Panter gunboat and demanded the Congo as a price for letting France annex
Arms Race- French/German standing armies doubled 1870-1914
- 1889 Britain said “our fleet has to be gigantic!” and they launched battleships armed with onloy big guns
- Major powers agreed to two great conferences on disarmnament and compulsory arbitration at Hague in 1899 and then 1907—Germans at second conference rejected any limiations
Triple Entente- 1902—Britain signs a treaty with Japan, followed by accord between France/Russia/Japan in 1907, then more agreement between GB/Russia
- Triple Entente (Britain/France/Russia) vs. Triple Alliance (Germany/Austria/Italy
- Britain withdrew fleets from the Mediteranean in 1912 and leave the French to watch em while they watched the North Sea and Germany
The Balkan Threat- Ferment caused by nationalism, modernization, militarism, shaky parliamentarianism, complicated by centuries of oppression, disputed boundaries, social/ethnic/religious rivalries
- Competitions between Russia and Austria Hungary quickly became enmeshed in these conflicts along with Germany
- Italian defeat of Turkey in 1912 triggered the Balkan War (Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece declared war on Turkey, drove the Ottomans from all holdings except Constantinople), then Serbia/Greece/Romania/Turkey declared war on Bulgaria, caused a lot of local anger and international concern
The Assasination of an Austrian ArchdukeI hope you listened to the Turkey Sandwich story: I’m saving space by not writing it again:
the system of alliances caused AH to jump into a war they weren’t ready for, and then Russia had partial moiliization, Germany proclaimed a state of readiness
August 1st, Germany mobilized and declared war on Russia, invaded Luxemborg and sent the Belgians an ultimatum, then 2 days later German declared war on France and invaded Belgium, followed by Britain declaring war on Germany (Aug. 4th)
The Origins of World War
- Assasination didn’t cause it; tensions did (struggles for independence, AH declining power, each nations concern for it’s own power
- AH attacked Serbia suddenly, Germany was irresponsible in helping them, Russia was clumsy in terms of Diplomacy, France was desperate to show their loyalty to the Russians, and Great Britain failed to warn Germany that if they invaded France they’d have to deal with Britain too
The Limits of Diplomacy- System of alliances had been hardened by habit, military imperatives, and domestic politics
- Every country was afraid of something and wanted to show how powerful they were
- Arms race contributed, as did the German defeat of France in 1870
- Military mobilization was considered by many countries to be “essential act of self defense” and everyone was matching every single increase of personell or guns
Public Opinion